3D displays (also referred to as stereoscopic or stereo displays) are becoming more common. 3D displays display stereo images (left and right images) stereoscopically so that the left image is directed to the left eye and the right image is directed to the right eye of an observer, creating the perception of depth in the image. The initial commercial growth of 3D displays has been in cinema and later in electronic display devices such as may be used in televisions and computer monitors, and typically require the use of additional user-worn equipment such as a pair of glasses to separate the left and right images, for example using polarization or shuttering. Autostereoscopic 3D display devices that direct left and right images to the left and right eyes of the observer autostereoscopically, without the user of additional equipment, are also under development.
The application to mobile electronic devices such as telecommunication devices that communicate over a telecommunication network is desirable to enhance the quality of social interaction using such devices. Autostereoscopic 3D display devices for such mobile electronic devices would be preferable but are not yet widely implemented commercially in such applications.
For use with existing commercial 3D displays, the stereo images are often generated by an organization and supplied to users, a typical example being 3D films generated by film companies. For future uses, it will be desirable for the electronic device to include a stereoscopic pair of cameras for capture of stereo images locally on the device.
It is known to implement teleconferencing in telecommunication devices by transmitting images of the face of the users captured by a camera on the telecommunication devices over a telecommunication network. This increases the accessibility of face-to-face communication to users, indeed allowing it wherever the telecommunication device is capable of communication. Such teleconferencing could be improved by using a telecommunication device that includes a stereoscopic pair of cameras and capturing and transmitting stereo images to another device that is capable of displaying the stereo images